Chapter 40

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 40

Chapter Title: Liar (2)

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‘Right.’

When I matched the input codes one by one with English words.

Taking the very first and last letters of words or sentences...

That formed the sequence of codes we used in the input field.

‘Which means...’

This LR ghost story here... was most likely LiaR.

In other words, the Liar ghost story.

‘Assuming the worst-case scenario, with only one question left...’

Considering all these circumstances, the question I needed to ask was pretty much set in stone.

“...”

I lifted my head and met the eyes of the suited monster still staring at me.

‘...Can I take it in a fight?’

Before posing the question.

The thought, ‘What if I just fight and beat this guy?’ started creeping in.

‘Guess I’ll find out if I try.’

To the creature still gazing at me, I raised my middle finger for a mental attack of apathy...

Mental attack...

‘...It’s resistant to mental attacks...?’

I’d been diligently using mental attacks this whole time.

But its sanity didn’t drop at all, making me think mental attacks didn’t work here—

‘Sorry, Unknown 1001... it works fine.’

I tested a non-experiment experiment on the sleeping woman right away.

And confirmed that mental attacks worked perfectly even in this ghost story.

‘It really was resistant to mental attacks...’

Someone might call me crazy.

But using it on someone asleep should be fine enough.

What mattered now was that this suited monster was resistant to mental attacks.

‘Better not rush into a fight.’

I decided to share this new info on the community and solicit more opinions.

‘I shouldn’t look at the community for a while.’

Sheesh... It’s not like I used an instant-kill on someone.

I just used apathy mental attack on a sleeping woman, and if that’s so wrong... well, it is wrong, but...

Still, I had to gather info, right...?

‘The rulebook’s written in blood, after all.’

Not that I’m okay with it as long as it’s not my blood.

But to escape this place, I’d gladly shed some.

‘Messing with it carelessly could lead to something I can’t handle.’

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about taking down the suited monster to clear this ghost story.

But I wasn’t some brainless charger like the community said.

I shelved any idea of subduing the guide resistant to mental attacks.

‘Once this person wakes up, we’ll solve it the straightforward way.’

However.

‘Kinda disappointing, though.’

It’d be nice if this ghost story was an easy clear too—

‘...Huh?’

...

‘No matter how many times I test, same result... Hm?’

I turned my head and saw the woman silently leaning against the wall, looking up at me.

No idea when she woke up.

She probably didn’t speak because I looked lost in thought.

“When did you wake up?”

“A little while ago... Just now...”

“You should’ve said something.”

“...Sorry... I just... wanted to leave you be...”

“No, it’s fine. Hungry?”

“A... A little... My stomach feels empty...”

She looked a bit hungry.

Before entering the Two People Per Team Night Watchman ghost story, I pulled out the convenience store food from inventory and shared it with her.

Once we’d filled our stomachs a bit.

“Let’s go.”

“...Did you find a way...?”

“I found something that seems like it.”

“..!”

I slowly stood and walked toward the suited monster.

To ask the final question no crowd wisdom could decide, I posed the one I’d agonized over.

“Is there a trap beyond the door I’m pointing at with my finger?”

“No.”

The monster’s answer: no trap.

But even with the suited gentleman’s response fixed, we still had to pick a door.

“Door with no trap.”

I approached the door the monster said had no trap.

“Hoo...”

I gently raised my hand.

Knock knock knock

I softly knocked on the firmly shut door.

Of course.

“Whoops, just a knock and it’s already like this?”

While wearing knuckles that shoot spikes on impact.

Drip... drip...

Just like back in Bellierd Library, when the doorknob beyond Shelf 52 bled after I broke it.

This inexplicable grotesque door was dripping red blood from the light knock wound.

“...Huh?”

Leaving the stunned 1001 woman behind, I turned to the self-proclaimed guide, the suited monster.

‘It doesn’t get mad if I touch the door.’

This place’s guide didn’t care if the door got attacked.

Or maybe it didn’t judge my intentional damage.

Either way, no hostility toward me.

Knock knock knock

I knocked on the opposite door with my knuckle-clad hand.

‘This one’s normal.’

Even after the needles drilled several holes.

No reaction like pain or leaking fluid.

“Let’s go.”

Having found the normal door, I told the woman staring at me with blank eyes.

As I went to turn the handle and move to the next room...

“You can still ask one more question.”

“?”

The suited monster said there was still one question left.

‘...Do I have to ask?’

I could ignore it and...

“..?”

“...”

Normally, I’d just walk past.

But...

The suited monster was staring, as if determined to get a question out of me.

Not wanting to irk it needlessly, I tossed out one burning question.

“Do you... always only answer with the truth?”

“Yes. I can only answer with the truth.”

‘So it’s a pattern of only lies.’

Right after confirming it only spewed lies.

The woman gripped my hand tight, and together we carefully turned the doorknob.

Creeeak...

As the chilling sound echoed, beyond the slowly opening door...

“...Ha. ...What a total bastard.”

Identical to the room we’d just been in.

Nothing but two doors in an empty room.

“Haaaa......”

I sighed deeply and closed the community.

“No help at all...”

I’d hoped for clever ideas.

Maybe because we could avoid traps without questions anyway.

People didn’t seem to take the situation seriously.

‘How many more doors till escape?’

From now on, no hesitation—straight to the exit.